Government Spokesperson Chai Wacharonke disclosed that Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Srettha Thavisin congratulated successful launch of THEOS-2, Thailand’s second satellite system for earth observation.
The Prime Minister, on behalf of the Thai Government and people, congratulated the success, and underscored the Government’s commitment to leverage science, technology and innovation in Thailand’s development endeavor in a bid to upgrade quality of life of the Thai people. Data collected from THEOS-2 will be instrumental in various areas of development, i.e., mapping, agriculture and food management, integrated water management, natural disaster management, urban planning, land and border management, as well as natural resource, environmental management, and security.
According to the Prime Minister, THEOS-2 belongs to all the Thai people as it is designed and developed by the Thais through knowledge transfer and capacity building. THEOS-2, the most advanced satellite system in ASEAN, is capable of capturing color images with a level of detail down to 50 centimeters per pixel. It can transmit data back to the ground station at a rate of 74,000 square kilometers per day.
The Prime Minister thanked Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, and Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) for the significant milestone in shaping Thailand’s future, and driving the development of space technology. He expressed confidence that THEOS-2 would be another high-tech mechanism to help enhance national competitiveness, and promote the country’s socio-economic advancement. (PRD)